The band was formed after the various members answered a newspaper advertisement placed by drummer Lars Ulrich who was looking for people to jam with. Metallica quickly gained a following from its many gigs in the Los Angeles music scene as its new thrash metal sound picked up increasing numbers of followers.
Metallica’s first three studio albums, Kill ‘Em All, Ride the Lightning, and Master of Puppets, did increasingly well on the US album charts, and eventually, each of these albums would be certified platinum. The band toured frequently in the US and Europe, playing to tens of thousands of fans at a time. Its constant touring resulted in rising popularity throughout the late ’80s.
In 1986, tragedy struck when the band’s tour bus crashed in Sweden and bassist Cliff Burton was killed. After debating whether to continue making music, the band received the blessing of Burton’s family and went on to record its next album …And Justice For All. The release of this album in 1988 saw the band attain its biggest success yet as the album charted at number six in the US and number four in the UK; Metallica also received its first Grammy Award nomination.
The commercial success of the album turned Metallica members into living legends. Each of its subsequent five albums hit the number one spot in the US and has been certified platinum. Tracks such as “Enter Sandman” and “Turn the Page” have become legendary in their own right and have inspired legions of artists.
In 1991, Metallica released its fifth album, self-titled Metallica. Today, this album is recognized as one of the band’s first albums to appeal to a larger mainstream audience with less focus on its traditional thrash metal sound. This album wound up selling over 16 million copies in the US alone.
After this album, Metallica continued to release albums that explored new genres and styles. During the next few years, the band would go on to release Binge & Purge, Load, Reload, Garage, S&M, and St. Anger. Then, in 2008, Metallica returned to its earlier sound with the release of Death Magnetic. This album returned to the band’s metal trash roots and debuted at number one in the US. The album quickly climbed the charts globally, reaching number one on both the Billboard 200 and the European album charts. In addition, this became the fastest-selling album of the year in Australia.
After this, Metallic continued to release albums in the same vein as its original sound, releasing its tenth studio album Hardwired…to Self-Destruct in 2016. This album was released via the band’s own record label, Blackened Recordings. The album’s single “Hardwired” went on to debut at number one on the Billboard 200 charts.
Now the band’s eleventh studio album 72 Seasons is set to be released in April of 2023. In anticipation of the release of its newest album, the band released the single “Lux Æterna” in November 2022.
Metallica has won an impressive nine Grammy Awards and three MTV VMA awards. Its style is influenced by bands such as AC/DC, Black Sabbath, and Aerosmith, but Metallica itself has gone on to be one of the most influential heavy metal bands of all time, selling more than 120 million records worldwide.
For those who are looking forward to seeing Metallica live at any of its shows, the band delivers an incredible live experience. Fans flock to stadiums, festivals, and concert halls to watch the group perform dozens of songs spanning its extensive discography. Over the years, Metallica has played over 2,000 shows, traveling to every populated continent in the world. What started out as a small movement in California, has spread globally, earning the group an incredible following of metal fans from countries virtually everywhere.
Metallica’s adrenaline-filled shows aren’t for those who wish to sit back and relax. The band members all deliver their own bold energy to the stage, and the crowd follows suit. Most Metallica shows involve fan interaction, with concert attendees singing, clapping, jumping, and thrashing along to the music. In addition to the incredible power that the band brings to the stage during a show, the audio and visual effects are also second to none. Metallica is known for playing a loud concert, where every beat of the drum, every strum of the bass, and every lyric is felt from head to toe.
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